Trigger happy

To get through an Indian wedding is a chaotic whirlwind of an experience, especially if you are the bride or groom in focus. Besides the never ending to-do list, your immediate experience can be full of mixed emotions that can really overwhelm you at the moment. So it is important that you preserve your memories in a touching way that will allow you to reminisce forever about such a landmark event. This is where your wedding photographer steps in; he makes the crucial difference between cheesy and classy wedding photographs that you will treasure for the rest of your life. Condé Nast Traveller surveys the market for unique wedding photographers and makes some real finds in people who can truly “capture the magic”.

But before you hire a photographer make sure you look at his/her previous work and spend some time talking to them about their style and approach. How much you pay determines what you get. Some say 10 percent of your wedding budget should be set towards the photography but it all depends on how particular you are about the quality of the photography and how much you cherish it. Another interesting idea I found on photographer Sephi Bergerson’s website was the concept of doing a pre-wedding shoot in a completely different location which results in casual, stress-free photographs that you will really appreciate post the wedding. Read on to get the list of five dream wedding photographers for your big fat Indian wedding:

SEPHI BERGERSON Sephi is an award winning travel photographer, his first book Street Food of India has made to the list of best books of 2010 in the New York Times and was nominated for Best in the World at the Gourmand Awards 2010. He now lives in India and does both commercial and non-commercial photography including Indian weddings. He believes that not being from India is a big advantage because it gives him a unique perspective on traditional India weddings.(www.fotowala.in)

ATUL PRATAP CHAUHAN Atul was working in a restaurant when a photographer took a picture of him and that’s when his journey began. After assisting a professional photographer in Bengaluru he began to work independently and has been doing so for the last three years in Delhi. His forte is food, travel and wedding photojournalism. He loves the emotions attached to Indian weddings and shoots only six wedding per season to keep the fire alive.(www.weddingdaybyatul.com)

SHARIK VERMA Sharik realised his calling for photography on a road trip to Ladakh and Zanskar and quit his job at Wipro to pursue his passion. His approach to weddings is painstakingly thorough where he spends time to get comfortable with the family and shoots only 15 weddings in a year. Being a minimalistic photographer, he usually uses natural light to shoot and rarely employs flashes and other gear.(www.sharikverma.com)

PRAKASH TILOKANI Photographer to the rich and famous, Prakash witnesses the most opulent weddings in India. His list of clients is impressive to say the least and ranges from Shilpa Shetty to the Reddy’s. He’s won 22 photography awards and also does videography for weddings. Prakash uses the best equipment to create larger than life images for your grand Indian wedding.(www.prakashtilokani.com/new)

VINAYAK DAS AND SNIGDHA SHEEL This dynamic wife-husband duo has together created Photo Tantra two years ago and covered about 70 weddings all over the country. Their work compliments each other. Vinayak’s forte is people and documentary; his photojournalistic style gets reflected in the candid moments and moment’s realistic documentation. Snigdha, on the other hand gets into the nitty gritty details and being a woman her photos depict the emotions that one goes through in a wedding. Together they capture the genuine and poignant moments that reflect the true soul of the events.(www.vinayakdasphotography.com)